The present invention generally relates to storage cabinets having sliding assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to a storage cabinet having interlinked and counter balanced drawers where each drawer of the cabinet is inclined downward from the rear of the cabinet and is movable between an open or extended position and a closed or retracted position so that when an operator releases one drawer from the cabinet, the counter balance force will ease the drawer into the open position. If the operator releases a second drawer from the cabinet the first drawer is retracted into its closed position within the cabinet.
Storage cabinets for stowing and organizing contents have been known for many years. Such cabinets typically include a plurality of drawers. Contents are stowed in the drawers of the cabinet for access by workers. These storage cabinets are positioned in the workplace and the storage cabinet leveling feet adjusted to bias the drawers horizontally or with a slight incline toward the rear of the cabinet.
When the drawer is horizontally positioned, the drawer can be extended or retracted with little effort by a worker. Storage cabinets and drawers may contain worker operated drawer latches to maintain the drawer in the closed position. Another method is for the storage cabinet drawer guides to incorporate detents in the fully retracted position to maintain the drawer in its closed position.
Some storage cabinets are designed with a slight incline toward the rear of the cabinet to further ease the return of the drawer to its retracted position. In some instances, this inclination creates a self-closing drawer when a minimal force is exerted by the worker on the drawer front.
The typical storage cabinet drawer operates under a horizontal or level condition. When a typical storage cabinet has been biased on an incline downward from the rear of the storage cabinet, the storage cabinet and drawer design does not prevent it from quickly opening due to its own weight. This quick and unexpected drawer opening may damage the drawer or storage cabinet and could potentially injure the worker.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous for a storage cabinet for operating drawers with a significant downward incline away from the rear of the cabinet to be easy to operate by the average worker. Further, it would be advantageous to interlink multiple drawers to limit only a single drawer from being extended at any one time. Further, it would be advantageous to prevent unauthorized entry to the drawer contents and insure the worker is properly positioned to guide the drawer to a safe extended position.